Stop mechanism for sliding drawers



June 20, 1967 H. E. LELAND STOP MECHANISM FOR SLIDING DRAWERS Filed 061;. l, 1965 INVENTOR. H/IZOLD 5. L ELfl/VO m5 4 Tram/5Y5 United States Patent 3,326,617 STOP MECHANISM FOR SLIDING DRAWERS Harold E. Leland, Kettering, Ohio, assignor to H. Gerstner & Sons, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 492,197 Claims. (Cl. 312-348) This invention relates to a stop mechanism for sliding drawers and more particularly to a stop mechanism useful in cabinets having plural sliding drawers without separating structure between the sliding drawers, however, the invention is not necessarily so limited.

An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved drawer stop mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved drawer stop mechanism suitable for use in cabinets having plural drawers with no structure separating adjacent drawers.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a drawer stop mechanism employing hardware which is readily attached to or detached from cabinets which need not be especially designed to receive such hardware.

Other objects and advantages reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof, the method of manufacture and the mode of operation, as will become more apparent from the following description.

In the drawing, FIGURE 1 is a perspective view illustrating a cabinet embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary section view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view illustrating a single drawer in the cabinet of FIGURE 1 in operative association with the drawer stop mechanism of the present invention, the cabinet having been cut away from the drawer and drawer stop mechanism to reveal this detail.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the cabinet of FIGURE 1 comprises spaced side walls 12 and 13, a front wall 14, a rear wall" 16, a 'base 18, and a cover hinged to the rear wall 16 by conventional hinge means not shown. The cover 20 is adapted to be locked to the front wall 14 with a conventional lock means 22.

A rectangular opening 23 in the front wall 14 exposes a receptacle for the receipt of drawers 24 and 26. A partition 28 disposed between the front, rear and side walls of the cabinet 10 separates the drawer receiving receptacle from the upper portion of the cabinet. Thus the cabinet has three storage areas, one under the cover 20 and above the partition 28 and one in each of the drawers'24 and 26.

The drawer 24 includes a base member 36, a front panel 30 which projects both above and below the base member, a rear panel 32 which projects only above the base member, and side panels 34 which support the front and rear panels in spaced relation. The front, rear, and side panels cooperate to establish a storage well above the base member 36.

The drawer 24 is supported and guided for sliding movement between the side walls 12 and 13 of the cabinet 10 by means of runners 39, one for each side wall, which slide in channels 38 formed in each side panel 34 for the drawer.

The drawer 26 is similar in construction to the drawer 24 and comprises a front panel 40, a rear panel 42, side panels 44 (only one shown) and a base member 46-. As is the case for the drawer 24, suitable channels formed in the side panels 44 for the drawer 26 cooperate with complementary runners 41 mounted on the side walls 12 and 13 of the cabinet 10 to support the drawer 26 for sliding movement into and out of the drawer receiving receptacle of the cabinet 10.

It will be noted that the base members 36 and 46 for the drawers 24 and 26, respectively, are elevated above the bottom surfaces for the front and side panels for the drawers. This construction minimizes friction between the drawers and the cabinet such as may occur should the base members 36 or 46 become warped or are bowed under the weight of materials placed thereon. In the present invention, advantage is taken of this gap provided under the drawers, as will be described in the following.

Since there is no separating panel between the drawers 24 and 26 in the present cabinet such as frequently found in cabinet structures, the conventional means for limiting drawer movement by attaching stop devices to a separating panel are not applicable to the type of cabinet structure shown herein. The cabinet structure shown thus illustrates the need for a drawer stop mechanism which will function independently of any panel structure separating the drawers.

The stop mechanism of the present invention comprises a hook member 48 having an elongated shank portion 49. At one end of the shank portion 49 is an angularly disposed flange 50 which is conveniently attached to the rear wall of the cabinet 10 by means of a threaded screw 52.

At the opposite end of the shank portion 49 is an angularly disposed hook portion 54 which confronts the rear wall 16 of the cabinet and, more specifically confronts the flange 50. The confronting portions of the hook member 48 establish a region or zone of confrontation having the length of the shank portion 49 and having the height of the hook portion 54. Obviously, any object projecting into this region of confrontation cannot pass horizontally outwardly of the drawer receiving receptable in the cabinet 10 for the reason that it will engage the hook portion 54.

As appears in FIGURE 2, one hook member 48 is provided for each drawer 24 and 26. In each case, the hook member, fastened to the rear cabinet wall 16, is projected into the gap provided under the base member of the associated drawer. Thus, one hook member projects into the drawer receiving receptacle above the drawer 26 and under the base member 36 for the drawer 24 and the other hook member projects above the cabinet .base 18 and under the base member 46 for the drawer 26.

As previously noted, the base members 36 and 46 may 'warp or become bowed. To minimize interference between the hook members and overlying base members, the hook members are preferably fabricated froma resilient material, such as bronze or a mild spring steel, thus enabling the hook members to yield where necessary to accommodate irregularities in the overlying base members.

For limiting the travel of the drawers 24 and 26 in accordance with the present invention, a catch 56 which, for convenience, is a generally U-shaped staple, is driven through the base member of each drawer into the rear panelof the drawerJThese staples project downwardly into the above described zones of confrontation for each hook member 48. The catches 56, there being one for each drawer, move freely above the shank portion 49 for each hook member until the outward movement of each drawer causes the catch '56 to engage the hook portion 54 of the associated hook member.

In the preferred construction the shank portion 49 for each hook member has a length which is less than the overall length for each drawer but which, for convenience of access to the drawer, is at least one half the interior length of the storage well in each drawer. Since the catch 56 for each drawer is anchored to the rear panel for each drawer, the hook member 48 for each drawer is long enough to permit each drawer to be withdrawn from the cabinet a distance far enough to expose substantially the entire contents in the drawer but not so far that the drawer becomes detached from the cabinet 10.

It is also preferred that the channels in the opposite sides of each drawer have a vertical height which enables convenient removal of each drawer when desired. With reference to the drawer 24, for example, the upper wall 38a of the channel 38 in each side thereof establishes the elevation of this drawer with respect to the hook member 48 thereunder and normally supports the catch 56 mounted on the drawer so that this catch enters the zone of confrontation associated with the hook member 48. To allow for removal of the drawer 24, it is only necessary that the opposite wall 38b of the channel 38 in each side of the drawer is spaced far enough below the runners 39 engaged in the channels 38 to allow the drawer to be lifted upwardly with respect to the cabinet so as to raise the catches 56 out of the aforesaid zone of confrontation.

The drawers 24 and 26 ordinarily rest by their own weight on the supporting runner therefor so as to retain the catches 56 in the above described zone of confrontation and the drawers can fully be removed from cabinet 10 only by the deliberate action of lifting the drawers so as to remove the catches 56 from their respective zones of confrontation.

As shown in the drawings, the hook portions 54 are inclined to the shank portions 49 approximately 45 degrees. The hook portions thereby function as cam surfaces which coact with the catches 56 to cause the hook members to automatically deflect downwardly as the drawers are inserted into the cabinet.

While the present invention is disclosed as embodied in a cabinet having two drawers, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the lock feature disclosed herein can be employed in single drawer cabinets and also employed in cabinets having more than two drawers without departing from the scope of the present invention. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the hardware disclosed herein for limiting the outward movement of the drawers is readily attached to pre-existing cabinet structures and also can be readily attached to new cabinet structures as the customer may order.

Although the preferred embodiment of the device has been described, it will be understood that within the purview of this invention various changes may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement of parts, the combination thereof and mode of operation, which generally stated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forth, as disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a cabinet having a rear wall and spaced side walls cooperating to establish a drawer receiving receptacle, a drawer having spaced side panels, a front panel and a rear panel spaced from said front panel, the front and rear panels supporting said side panels in spaced relation, and means coacting between said side panels and said side walls to guide said drawer inwardly and outwardly of said receptacle, said drawer having an innermost position in said receptacle and being movable outwardly of said receptacle from said innermost position.

of means to limit the outward movement of said drawer, said limit means comprising a hook member having an elongated shank portion, means securing one end of said shank portion to said rear wall, said shank portion projecting outwardly from said rear wall into said receptacle and being disposed adjacent said drawer, said hook member having a hook portion disposed at the other end of said shank portion and disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said shank portion, said hook portion thereby having a portion confronting the rear wall, and a catch member fixed to said drawer adjacent the rear panel thereof and projecting into the region of confrontation between said hook portion and said rear wall so as to engage said hook portion upon movement of said drawer outwardly of said receptacle.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the length of said shank portion exceeds one half the separation between the front and rear panels of said drawer.

3. The combination with a cabinet having a rear wall and spaced side walls cooperating to establish drawer receiving receptacle, a drawer having a base panel, a front panel projecting above and below said base panel, a rear panel projecting only above said base panel, side panels supporting said front and rear [panels in spaced relation, and guide means coacting between said side panels and said side walls to guide said drawer inwardly and outwardly of said receptacle, said drawer having an innermost position in said receptacle and being movable outwardly of said receptacle from said innermost position,

of means to limit the outward movement of said drawer, said limit means comprising a hook member having an elongated shank portion, means securing one end of said shank portion to said rear wall, said shank portion projecting outwardly from said rear wall into said receptacle and underlying the base panel of said drawer, said hook member having a hook portion disposed at the other end of said shank portion and inclined at an angle to the longitudinal axis of said shank portion, said hook portion thereby having a ortion confronting said rear wall, and a catch member fixed to said drawer adjacent the rear panel thereof and projecting downwardly from said drawer into the region of confrontation between said hook portion and said rear wall, whereby said catch portion engages said hook portion upon movement of said drawer outwardly of said receptacle.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said shank portion has a length exceeding one half the separation between said front and rear panels of said drawer.

5. The combination according to claim 3 wherein said guide means comprises runner elements fixed to said side walls of said cabinet and projecting into said drawer receiving receptacle, and channels in the side panels of said drawer receiving said runner elements therein, said channels having spaced upper and lower walls, said upper wall-s normally resting on said runner elements to position said catch in said region of confrontation, said lower walls being spaced below said runner elements a distance exceeding the downward projection of said catch into said region of confrontation whereby said drawer may be lifted off said runner elements a distance sufficient to remove said catch from said region of confrontation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1903 Anderson 21l-80 9/1954 Chambers et al. 312-345 X 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A CABINET HAVING A REAR WALL AND SPACED SIDE WALLS COOPERATING TO ESTABLISH A DRAWER RECEIVING RECEPTACLE, A DRAWER HAVING SPACED SIDE PANELS, A FRONT PANEL AND A REAR PANEL SPACED FROM SAID FRONT PANEL, THE FRONT AND REAR PANELS SUPPORTING SAID SIDE PANELS IN SPACED RELATION, AND MEANS COACTING BETWEEN SAID SIDE PANELS AND SAID SIDE WALLS TO GUIDE SAID DRAWER INWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY OF SAID RECEPTACLE, SAID DRAWER HAVING AN INNERMOST POSITION IN SAID RECEPTACLE AND BEING MOVABLE OUTWARDLY OF SAID RECEPTACLE FROM SAID INNERMOST POSITION. OF MEANS TO LIMIT THE OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID DRAWER, SAID LIMIT MEANS COMPRISING A HOOK MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED SHANK PORTION, MEANS SECURING ONE END OF SAID SHANK PORTION TO SAID REAR WALL, SAID SHANK PORTION PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID REAR WALL INTO SAID RECEPTACLE AND BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID DRAWER, SAID HOOK MEMBER HAVING A HOOK PORTION DISPOSED AT THE OTHER END OF SAID SHANK PORTION AND DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID SHANK PORTION, SAID HOOK PORTION THEREBY HAVING A PORTION CONFRONTING THE REAR WALL, AND A CATCH MEMBER FIXED TO SAID DRAWER ADJACENT THE REAR PANEL THEREOF AND PROJECTING INTO THE REGION OF CONFRONTATION BETWEEN SAID HOOK PORTION AND SAID REAR WALL SO AS TO ENGAGE SAID HOOK PORTION UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID DRAWER OUTWARDLY OF SAID RECEPTACLE. 